FRANCIS S. FLINT:
An Inventory of the Francis S. Flint and Family Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Flint, Francis S., 1846-1908, creator. | |
| Title: | Francis S. Flint and family papers. | |
| Dates: | 1855-1881. | |
| Abstract: | Correspondence, legal documents, a school district record book, soldier's diaries, and other papers relating to Benton County, Minnesota farmer and Civil War veteran Francis S. Flint; his father, Schuyler Flint; and his war-time comrade, William A. Spaulding. | |
| Quantity: | 0.25 cubic feet (1 box, including 4 v. and 1 microfilm reel). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Descriptionfor shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Schuyler Flint was born at Brookline, Vermont, on June 16, 1814. He married Ann Benson Mosher on November 29, 1843, at Morristown, Vermont. Ann was born November 10, 1818, at Sharon, Vermont. The couple had two children: Susan Ann (b.ca.1844) and Francis S. (1846-1908). The Flints came to Minnesota in 1856 and farmed in Langola Township, Benton County.
Francis Schuyler Flint was born on January 1, 1846 in Stafford, Vermont. He served in the Second Minnesota Light Artillery Battery during the Civil War, and was mustered into service on January 14, 1862. He was taken prisoner by Confederate forces on February 6, 1863 after the Battle of Murfreesboro (Battle of Stones River), and was held in Richmond (Libby) Prison. He re-enlisted on March 22, 1864; was promoted to corporal on April 1,1865; and was mustered out August 6, 1865. Francis married Jennie Russell at St. Cloud, Minnesota on April 18, 1867. Jennie was born April 3, 1846 at Glasgow, Scotland to Robert (b.1820) and Agnes Leitch (b.1824) Russell. Francis and Jennie also farmed in Langola Township. They had ten children, including Nelson Flint (b.1869). Francis died October 23, 1908 and Jennie died May 4, 1920, both at Rice, Minnesota, which is located immediately adjacent to Langola Township.
William Augustus Spaulding was born in Stetson, Maine on March 7, 1842. He came with his parents to Monticello, Minnesota in 1856. He served in the Second Minnesota Light Artillery Battery during the Civil War (1862-1865). Spaulding graduated from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery in 1875, and in 1886 was made dean of the dental faculty at the Minnesota Hospital College. He also practiced dentistry in Germany and France. Spaulding died at his home in Farmington, Minnesota in October 1913.
It is unclear what connection, if any, existed between the Flints and Spaulding, other than that Francis Flint and Will Spaulding served together during the Civil War.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
Civil War information consisting of numerous letters from Francis S. Flint while serving with the 2nd Battery of Minnesota Light Artillery, two small diaries of Will A. Spaulding, and a "Class Book" (record book) of a "Christian Class" organized by men in the Second Battery. There are letters from Francis S. Flint from logging camps in northern Minnesota (1876); a few other family letters and deeds; and a record book of Langola school district in Benton County, Minnesota (1861-1869), in which Schuyler Flint also kept personal accounts as late as 1880.
The collection includes one roll of microfilm, which contains images of some of the material in the collection: Spaulding's class book, diaries, and some of Francis' Civil war correspondence.
See the article: Vickie Wendel, "Ordinary Heroes: The Second Minnesota Battery of Light Artillery," Minnesota History 54: 141-152, for more information about Flint's Civil War experiences.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Francis S. Flint and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Microfilm Production:
St. Paul, Minn. : Minnesota Historical Society, 1963.
Microfilm available for sale or interlibrary loan from the Minnesota Historical Society.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 2079; 3119; 15,446
Processing Information:
Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, 1963; David B. Peterson, August 1999 and January 2005
Catalog ID number: 990017333080104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| P2349 | Biographical and genealogical information, undated. | ||||||||||
| Deeds to land in Benton County, Minnesota, 1856-1881. | |||||||||||
| Deeds and land patents to land in Township 38 (Langola Township) as it was deeded to various individuals, including Schuyler Flint (1856, 1881). There are also tax deeds issued to Schuyler Flint (1860, 1863). | |||||||||||
| Francis Flint: | |||||||||||
| Civil War letters, 1862-1865. | |||||||||||
| Letters written by Francis Flint to Jennie Russell of Langola, Minnesota relating to Flint's Civil War experiences as a member of the Second Battery of Light Artillery. The letters were written from various points, including Fort Snelling, Minnesota; Camp Benton, Missouri; Jefferson Barracks, Missouri; Winchester, Tennessee; Stevenson, Alabama; and Chattanooga and Philadelphia, Tennessee. The letters include information on life in camp, marches, and battles; army hospitals at Jefferson Barracks and Quincy, Illinois; Richmond (Libby) Prison, where Flint was a prisoner after the Battle of Murfreesboro (Battle of Stones River) (see letter dated March 18, 1863); and general information about mutual friends in the Union Army. A portion of the Civil War letters (March 10, 1862-April 24, 1865) are in edited form. There are 24 pages of typewritten data extracted from the letters. No information could be located concerning the editor of the letters, or the purpose for editing them. | |||||||||||
| Also available on microfilm. | |||||||||||
| Letters from Minnesota logging camps, 1875-1876. | |||||||||||
| Letters written by Francis ("Frank") home to his wife and children while working over the winter hauling hay to various logging camps in northern Minnesota. The letters describe some of his experiences and discuss financial and other matters. | |||||||||||
| Schuyler Flint: Personal account book, 1871-1880. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous accounts, meteorological observations, brief diary entries, and information about building the First Presbyterian Meeting House at Royalton, Minnesota (about 17 pages). The book was originally a treasurer's book for Benton County School District No. 1 (Langola Township), and includes a record of monies received and paid out (1861-1869) for such purposes as the purchase of school books and furnishings, the purchase of wood, and teachers' compensation (about 14 pages). Schuyler Flint was treasurer and Francis S. Flint was clerk of the school district in the 1860s. | |||||||||||
| Will Spaulding: | |||||||||||
| Class book, March 18, 1864. | |||||||||||
| Record book of a "Christian Class" organized by men in the Second Battery. John Craven kept the records. Will A. Spaulding was listed as a member. Includes typed transcript. | |||||||||||
| Also available on microfilm. | |||||||||||
| Diaries, 1863-1864. | |||||||||||
| Two small diaries kept by Will A. Spaulding, a member of the Second Battery, during the Civil War. They contain brief entries describing camps, marches, skirmishes, and similar data. Includes typewritten transcript. | |||||||||||
| Also available on microfilm. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous letters, 1855-1867. | |||||||||||
| Include items (1855 and 1860) relating to Schuyler Flint, including a poem written by Mary Ladd and information on tax returns in Benton County, Minnesota. There are also a few letters written by Flint to his wife and children from Richfield, Minnesota. | |||||||||||
| M607 | Francis Flint: Civil War letters, 1862-1865. Typed transcripts. | ||||||||||
| Also incldues a few letters from Francis Flint recounting his logging experiences in northern Minnesota (1876), and the Langola school district treasurer's book (1861-1869), in which Schuyler Flint also kept personal accounts. | |||||||||||
| M607 | Will Spaulding: | ||||||||||
| Class book, March 18, 1864. | |||||||||||
| Diaries, 1863-1864. | |||||||||||
RELATED MATERIALS
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Lumber camps -- Minnesota.
- Lumbering -- Minnesota.
- Presbyterians -- Minnesota -- Royalton.
- Stones River, Battle of, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 1862-1863.
- Places:
- Benton County (Minn.).
- Langola (Minn. : Township).
- St. Louis (Mo.) -- View of the Fair Grounds -- Letterhead -- 1862, May 17.
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Letterheads.
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Prisoners and prisons.
- Persons:
- Flint, Jennie Russell, 1846-1920.
- Flint, Schuyler, 1814-1882.
- Flint family.
- Spaulding, William Augustus, 1842-1913.
- Organizations:
- Benton County (Minn.). School District No. 1 (Langola : Township).
- Libby Prison.
- Types of Documents:
- Deeds.
- Diaries.
- Letterheads.
- Microforms.
- Watermarks.
- Occupations:
- Farmers -- Minnesota -- Benton County.
- Soldiers.
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